The Pac-12 will showcase several games that should have a lasting impact on the remainder of the college football season.
We’re interested to see if California can win back-to-back road games against power-five competition, and if USC can bounce back against an underachieving Arizona State squad.
Here’s two other games we’ll be watching this weekend.
UCLA (-3) at Arizona
This matchup should tell us plenty about which team will win the Pac-12 South. The Wildcats won the conference title last season and returned their quarterback Anu Solomon.
The biggest issue facing the Wildcats is that their best defensive player Scooby Wright will be out for Saturday’s game.
On the other side, the Bruins are dealing with their own major injury. Myles Jack is out for the season and UCLA will attempt in one week to replace his production against a potent offense.
UCLA freshman quarterback Josh Rosen will attempt to rebound from a disappointing performance last week against a good BYU defense. The talent level on UCLA is better, but without Jack, that worries us with less than a week to prepare.
Rosen should bounce back, and Arizona will not be able to stop UCLA’s offense enough to win this game. Take the more talented team and give away three points. — Go chalk with UCLA
Utah at Oregon (-11.5)
This line started out at 14 points in favor of Oregon. The betting public is losing faith in the Ducks.
In the past few years, the betting public rarely put the Ducks as less than two-touchdown favorites at home. But after a loss at Michigan State in week 2, uncertainty at quarterback and a defense that doesn’t seem good enough to even slow down teams, the Utes are gaining steam.
And this Utah team is good. Four-year starter Travis Wilson should be back from injury and that will help the offense improve upon its recent showings. We may not like the Utes to win this game, but Utah should be able to keep up with Oregon, and cover the 11.5 points. — Go against the chalk with Utah
Other Pac-12 games with a spread
Odds are provided by Oddsshark
Stanford (-15.5) at Oregon State
California (-3) at Washington
USC (-5.5) at Arizona State
